Love's Tainted Web
by beautymarked
Summary: Lizzie's life was complicated- throw in a little Logan, Andrea, Gordo, Kate, Parker, Miranda, Ethan, and Lance and you've got a freakin Nightmare! Continued from College Life R
1. Love's a Troubling Thing

Disclaimer: I own nothing- so sad!!

Pre-requisites: You should probably read College Life- it'll clear things up!

New Perspective: This will be from the third person perspective- no more from Lizzie's…. Enjoy!

And on with the show…

-!!!!-

**Love's a Troubling Thing**

The room was mildly warm- just warm enough to be comfortable and not too hot either. She lay with a sweat on her brow from an exhausting night with her current mate, Logan. Yes she had made it a whole year with Logan- boy was she pleased. In fact, it was a year to this very day that their anniversary lay upon. Sure it was hard to choose a day that they actually started to date considering the circumstances.

It had been a year to this day that Lizzie McGuire's world had been turned around, finding out she was used for sex. She had vowed much before that she would never let herself be used for sex, which she would, in fact, commit to a vow of chastity- at least until her wedding night. However, that never happened and about a month after getting together with Corey, she had her first night of real passion. That relationship came and went as his pure fakeness faded away and she realized the façade he had been all along.

Sure life was bad, but she had a rebound, Logan. She met him just three weeks before Christmas and within a month, also had her night of passion with him. New Year's Eve was the night they showed their love for each other. And now, it had actually lasted a year!

It was New Year's Eve and they did their daily ritual:

Threw an amazing party in which they performed- together- at.

Drank lightly.

And had the most incredible sex their relationship had endured. It was as if each night they were intimate, it just got more and more pleasurable- for the both of them. Lizzie lay in his arms tightly, her head resting on his chest- rising and falling to his steady breathing.

"Logan," she cooed quietly as he rubbed his hands against her bare shoulders.

"Yeah," his voice was deep and husky to her ears- yet somewhat soothing.

"I love you," she bit her lip as she waited for his response. He smirked at her words knowing that she would say them sooner or later.

He took her face and turned it towards himself. "I love you too Lizzie," he replied with tender eyes and soft breaths that sunk themselves into her skin. She smiled approvingly and replaced her head to its previous position. She was happy, he was happy. Life really couldn't get any better- nothing could take them down- they were invincible.

It's kind of funny, when you think about it- Lizzie rushed into her relationships while in college. When she was in high school, she and Gordo had taken things slow- never moving into the very physical side of their relationship.

Then came Corey, who she rushed in, like they say, fools rush in. She was a fool to get so physical so soon. She had been blinded by the passion she felt for Corey- his intelligence, his wit, his sparkling eyes- they all captivated her. But that was a part of her college experience she never talked about. She couldn't talk about it- it was too painful.

Yet again, she rushed into a relationship – with the gorgeous Logan. He treated her right- took her to dinners, spent time with her- sung with her. His gaze never left hers- never strayed to another woman. He was the perfect gentleman.

"Liz," Logan whispered, breaking her from her deep thoughts.

"Yes Logan," she replied formally in an almost joking matter.

"There's something I need to tell you," he felt her tense in his arms. She was preparing herself for the worst and nothing could have made him feel worse. He didn't want to do this to her- but he couldn't give up an opportunity that came knocking so hard for him.

"Well, you know how I had a meeting with that producer from Geffen Records yesterday and how I came home so late?" he mentioned feeling her start to pull away. He knew her too well, she was expecting to hear him of cheating on her- but of course it was nothing like that.

"Yeah, what about her?" The producer had been a woman, which didn't sit well with Lizzie. She never liked hearing about him going out with other women, although it was quite rare.

"Well, she offered me a contract to start recording with a band I put together," he began but Lizzie's excitement cut him off.

"That's amazing, this is so wonderful! You made it Logan, I knew you would!" She hugged him tightly and crashed her lips to his. He kissed her back deeply; worried that she wouldn't feel so compassionate in the next few moments. She responded to his sudden jilt of passion and matched his intensity. Finally reaching his fill, before the guilt completely took over, he pulled away. This left Lizzie feeling silly and confused. "What's wrong?" she giggled nervously hoping she hadn't caused his sudden refusal.

"There's more to what I have to say," he started again.

"Oh, well, what is it then?" she was concerned now.

"Well, in order to start recording, I…I have to move to New York," he finished looking into the sheets for some kind of answer.

"Oh- what's wrong with the studios here?" she said referring to L.A.

"They said I would do better in New York," he replied happily with a faint smile.

"But you can't leave me- you just…can't," her last words barely even a whisper. He knew how upset this was making her. He hated seeing her upset but there was nothing he could do. It was a once in a life time opportunity and he had to risk their relationship.

"I never meant to hurt you Liz, I really feel terrible- but how can I not go? You are the only thing keeping me here and I love you- but I have to try, don't I?" he began to question himself, was he really doing the right thing or was he pulling away from one of the very few good things in his life.

"When do you have to leave?" she asked quivering. If he had to go, she was at least going to spend as much time with him as possible.

"Before the end of the month," he answered quietly. He saw tears drip from her eyes like heavy rain on a stormy day. She was weak now- he had really done her damage.

"Oh," she began to whimper now, her shoulders caved into her chest slightly and she slipped out of bed pulling on her discarded clothing.

"Where are you going?" Logan asked, afraid she would do something rash.

"I can't be here right now. Just the sight of you makes me want to cry! I don't want you to go, please reconsider! Ask them to stay in L.A. Please!" she knelt at the edge of the bed as he leaned over to her.

"I-" he began.

"Don't say anything now, just think about it. I love you Logan and if you wish to leave me knowing so- then go ahead. I am not going to look like a fool in this and I'm not committing to a long distance relationship. God knows those never work- so call me when you decide to give me a straight answer. If not soon, see you at band practice on Friday," she gave him a quick peck on the lips and left the apartment in a flash.

Logan had never seen her be so well spoken and clear headed. She spoke as if she'd had days to think about it- as if she knew all along what he was planning to tell her. How was he going to deal with this? He couldn't not go and he couldn't not stay. She was his everything and he meant so much to her.

Following Lizzie's lead, he left the bed and dressed himself. The music was still blaring in the rest of the apartment from the party. It was only one o'clock and no one had left yet. This year was different from last year's party. He held it as his apartment and a lot more people were invited. He opened his bedroom door to find a wide assortment of people as well as Lizzie sitting at the make-shift bar downing a cooler.

"Hey stranger," he cooed in her ear as he wrapped his arm around her waist. He needed to prove his affection for her, so that she knew that if he did leave he would be faithful to her.

"What do you want?" she barked cringing at his sudden touch. She hated the fact that he was touching her so warmly. She also hated the fact that she wanted him to touch her.

"To make sure you know I love you- I can't say it enough," he whispered kissing gently down her neck- just the way she loved it.

"Yeah- then why are you leaving me if you love me?" she said bitterly and turned to face him eye to eye.

Then like lightening hits a tree during a storm, he had the best idea come to him. "Liz, I think I know how we can make this work!" he smiled and gave her a deep kiss which she surprisingly didn't remove herself from.

* * *

A/N: Tell me what you guys think of this continuation story- I think it'll be quite cute! Hope you enjoyed this first chapter- more like the Prologue! 


	2. A Discussion, A Fight and a Bubbly Blond...

The kiss was deep, so deep that Lizzie was afraid it would be their last. Finally, with frustration, she pulled away hoping to stop his crazy feeling she had in the pit of her stomach.

"What's wrong?" Logan asked dumbly, obviously knowing the reason. He just had to ask stupid questions which would upset her in the end.

"What do you mean what's wrong? Everything is wrong- you're leaving me!" she screamed causing stares to turn her way. She didn't care, she did have a reason to be mad and didn't care that people noticed it.

"But I can change that- come with me!" he said happily entwining his fingers with her own. This seemed to lighten her mood as she stepped back dumbfounded.

"What?" she asked thinking she'd heard him wrong.

"I said come with me- you can transfer, we can get an apartment together- you can do your music thing to," he said happily but his smile faded when her expression of sadness didn't change.

"I can't go with you- how can I? My parents like you and all, but they won't let me move in with you- or transfer all the way to New York for that matter! What are you psycho?" she whispered sitting back on the bar stool in his kitchen.

"Listen, I'll talk to your folks. Besides you're old enough to make your own decisions, they can't stop you," he smiled giving her some hope.

"They'll stop paying for my college- and there's the matter of me transferring- I don't know Logan," she doubted herself for thinking about leaving everything she had for him. What if he left her while they lived in New York? Her move would have been useless.

"Lizzie- if I make it, no, when I make it, I'll pay for you to stay in college!" he cooed in her ear lovingly and gave her a gentle kiss.

"That all sounds great now, but we'd be leaving everything and everyone we love behind. We'll struggle and who knows if we can even make it in New York? We still have to get an apartment, I'll need a job, I need to transfer- how am I supposed to transfer- my courses are about to begin and I'll come after they start," she began to ramble which he merely wrapped his arms around her in response.

"Lizzie, don't worry so much- take a chance. You can take one semester off and we can both work so we have money to stay. Then next year, you can start again. Just get your parents to cancel the tuition for this semester. Liz, we'll have so much fun living together- trust me!" Logan was obviously happy.

Lizzie did love Logan, but she wasn't sure if she could really take the next step and move to a completely different state, leave her family and room-mates behind. Her parents were not going to like the idea of her moving. Maybe she'd run it by them, see what they thought and decide based on what they told her. Yeah, that's what she'd do- at least then she'd know whether or not moving in with Logan was a good idea- or would she?...

* * *

"This shot is all wrong Andrea- it looks terrible. The lighting doesn't work, the actors aren't what I was looking for- I can't deal with this right now!" Gordo shouted to his girlfriend of almost a year and a half. He loved her, and she knew that, it was just, sometimes the frustration of directing with her made him crazy.

"Lighten up David, we can re-shoot the scene, it's not the end of the world," she said soothingly, rubbing his back lightly to calm him down.

"No, I just need to get out of here!" he stormed out of the small studio they lived in and took a walk down into the dirty streets.

"Okay, we'll take this again tomorrow- sorry about him guys, he just gets crazy sometimes," Andrea apologized to the crew, throwing a look of concern as Gordo stormed away.

-&-

Gordo hadn't gotten far before he felt someone grab him by the arm. He shot around looking for the culprit to find a surprised Andrea staring back at him.

"I want to be alone," he said through gritted teeth and turned around.

"Not this time David! You've been getting frustrated a lot lately, what's wrong?" Andrea had spun him around, placing her warm hand to his cheek to hopefully sooth him some more.

"Nothing- I just, nothing," he looked down at the ground and played with the light frosting of snow that had tumbled to the streets.

"Tell me David," she pleaded holding him to avoid his turning around again.

"I can't take this project- it's not right. There's something wrong with the direction you're taking it Andrea- suffice it to say, this movie sucks," he said downright honest. A look of hurt shot through her eyes and he immediately regretted ever telling her the movie sucked. He recalled the last time someone had reviewed his movie poorly- he locked himself in the editing room until he fixed every last detail.

A silent tear rolled down her cheek as her head drooped slowly. "Well David, if that's what you think of my directing, then I'd like a full explanation of what it lacks," she tensed up and crossed her arms to her chest- a move she always did when frustration had taken over her.

"This is not the place or time," he said immediately turning away from her.

"You started this David; you finish it here and tell me what's wrong with _my_ film!" Andrea demanded almost screaming.

"Fine Andrea, fine. You get what you asked for: the actors are shitty, the location isn't right- the movie, oh the movie, it's the same as the last one you made and the script is boring. There's nothing exciting or adventurous, just a boring love tale that makes no sense at all!" he shot back watching the growing anger at his words.

Slowly she backed away from him defeated though her face showed a deep rage," Oh, thank you for your concerns, I must get back to my studio," she answered and ran back into the building.

He felt terrible, he really didn't mean for her to hear all of that from him, especially since it wasn't all true. The acting was shitty, and it was like any other movie she did, but the writing didn't suck, it just lacked focus. Andrea was most touchy about her writing since it had been a passion of hers since she was five. Gordo watched her get into the building but knew he couldn't go in there.

Sure they lived together in the small studio- but he had no means of escape and lately she had been suffocating him. Andrea never knew when to leave him alone and it seemed the only time he wanted to be around her was for sex. Now, this was wrong, and he knew that, but he couldn't help feeling this way. Frustrated, he continued down the streets and walked a ways before entering a small, dingy bar.

The lights were low for five o'clock in the afternoon and the bar smelt of spilt beer. He sat down on a stool at the bar and ordered a large beer. Quickly he slugged it back, just like the following three he would order. The bar tender cut him off after the four and sent him on his way. Only two short hours passed as Gordo wandered the streets, hoping to find somewhere better to go then back into the fight at home.

He stumbled up a set of steps that seemed familiar and pounded on the wooden door. A bubbly blonde answered the door, and seeing him made her smile.

"Gordo, what a surprise, come in we don't have much time," the woman whispered looking around nervously.

"So how long has it been?" he asked slurring.

"Only about two days. What's wrong with you, are you drunk?" she seemed slightly concerned, but this didn't matter to him much.

"I'm not drunk; I just had a few beers. Come on, I want you," he pulled her close to him forcefully which made her smile slyly.

"You know I like it when it's rough!" she squealed and began to unzip his pants.

"Obviously I knew that," he pressed his lips to hers and immediately entered his tongue playfully into her mouth without as much as a warning. Quickly she jumped up, straddling his waist as they slowly backed towards her sofa.

* * *

A/N: Oh cliffhanger! Who was the blonde? Hmm I wonder! Review please! 


	3. The Web Begins

Gordo awoke with a sudden pang in his head, slowly sitting up with his feet on the floor, he bent over with his head in his hands. He couldn't remember much about the previous night except that he had a fight with Andrea and got drunk. Finally he lifted his head to notice his surroundings- this was not his apartment, but it was familiar. He looked around for some sign, and then noticed the blonde cuddled up to where he was sleeping.

Then it hit him like a ton of bricks- he had spent the night with Kate Saunders- AGAIN! This was beginning to become a routine- after every fight he had with Andrea, and there were quite a few, he'd come over to Kate's and they'd fuck like crazy. Sure it didn't mean a lot, but they sure did have a great time.

AUTHOR: If you're wondering how they came to meet in New York and start this "routine", there's a lovely story that goes along with it- so sit back, relax and enjoy the flashback!

_Flashback_

_He was strolling down the streets one night as he'd just had his very first fight with Andrea- this was about four months back. He headed into this one bar that he later realized was a singles bar. Now, Kate just so happened to have come their with some of her friends as more of a joke then to actually meet any men. She had a boyfriend- but they had been having some problems lately._

_Gordo was seated at the bar and Kate's friends dared her to ask the next guy that came in, to buy her a drink. Of course fate would choose Gordo- but to twist the tale, she didn't recognize him as his appearance had miraculously changed!_

_So she strolls over with her most flirtatious vibe and sits right beside him. "Hey babe, want to buy me a drink?" she asks twirling a strand of her hair._

"_Not now I just had a fight with my girlfriend," he shoos her away but Kate doesn't like being turned down so she tries again._

"_What if I bought you a drink then hunnie," she says sweetly causing him to turn to her. Realizing that it is in fact the great Kate Saunders, he smiles broadly._

"_You don't recognize me do you?" he asks at her obvious mistake._

"_No, should I?" she questions._

"_We only went to school together for about, all of our lives- remember curly hair, smart guy…" he leads motioning with his hand._

_Finally it hits her," Oh my gosh, Gordo!" she smiles and hugs him happy to see that he's alive and well._

"_Kate Saunders- so you've reached the lowest of lows. Never thought I'd see you in a singles bar!" he joked smirking at her. She blushed slightly before defending herself._

"_I have a boyfriend- I just came out with my friends for some fun tonight," she said bowing her head slightly._

"_Oh, that's cool…my girlfriend… she's great! We just don't always see, eye to eye. You know what I mean?" he asked._

"_Actually I think I do- my boyfriend and I are having troubles lately," she smirked slightly._

"_So, how about I buy you that drink knowing your not going to hit on me again," he said coyly._

"_Who says I'm not going to hit on you," she winked._

_And that was the beginning of that relationship! That night they both got drunk and ended up at Kate's apartment and slept together- in the non innocent Lizzie McGuire way. The next morning they said it was a mistake, but it just kept happening. Sometimes Kate would call or Gordo would just wander over- just for a good time to get over their troubles… which brings us to the present._

He returned his gaze back to the floor in shame- he'd messed up again. He'd gone and slept with Kate just when thing shad gotten rough after promising himself he wouldn't let it happen again! But, being the screw up he is, he let himself get back into old habits. Like the very clichéd saying, "old habits die hard!"

Quietly he began to gather his discarded clothing from her unusually large bedroom. She stirred slightly causing him to look back over at her. He sighed heavily, and then left her room and the apartment to make amends with Andrea. The funny thing was, he was starting to like being with Kate- it was comforting, yet adventurous; dangerous yet safe.

He strolled back to his studio to find a very awake Andrea ordering around her crew. Gordo checked his watch to find it was only eight AM and Andrea was already sent in motion. He always did like an aggressive woman! He shied away from her at first, avoiding the glares he knew she was throwing at him. It actually took him until lunch to get the courage up to talk to her.

"Hi Andy," he greeted as she came into their kitchen for some coffee.

"David, I see you stayed out all night again. Whose place did you go to? Billy's or Bob's?" she said this as if she knew he was at Kate's, as if she knew he was cheating on her.

"Uh, I just wandered around all night- I needed to think," he lied leaving her gaze and grabbing his own cup of coffee. When he looked back up, she was smirking slightly as if a weight had been lifted from her.

"I missed you David. Let's not fight anymore!" she cried and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"What? And miss the great make up sex we always have- let me tell you that's almost worth the pain we cause each other," he joked which made her blush slightly.

"Well, we'll have to wait until tonight for that- anyways, I'm glad you told me what you thought of my movie and I always respect your critiquing," she said seriously and pulled away from the embrace.

"I didn't have to be so blunt and brutal about it. For that, I apologize," he told her sincerely.

"It's fine David…So, tell me what you think about this next shot I've set up," she took his hand comfortingly and led him over to the set up camera.

* * *

"Mom?" Lizzie questioned as a female voice answered the phone.

"Oh Lizzie, so nice to hear from you. How are you? How's Logan?" her mom asked cheerfully.

"We're fine, umm but I have something to tell you," she said pausing to wait for her mother's reply.

"Please don't tell me you're pregnant Lizzie, because we'll help you, but you're too young to have to go through all of the-" her mom rambled but Lizzie cut in.

"Mom, no, I'm not pregnant," she laughed- might as well be pregnant-, "what would you say to me transferring to NYU next year?" she asked in an almost whisper.

"Well, I'd say why?"

"Well, because… Logan is moving out there and he wants me to move with him and live together and I don't want him to leave me," she answered without a breath.

"Oh hunnie! Oh, it's so far away from us though- and we'd miss you so much. But, if the cost is the same- and you're willing to pay for your own rent and part of your tuition. And if you think this is something you are prepared to do- I will allow you to do it. Just be careful," he mom offered.

"You don't know how grateful I am mom! I love you so much and dad too! Logan is going to be so happy when he finds out- we'll be able to move in the month he has to get there and-" but before she could finish she heard her mom's more serious tone.

"A month- but you can't transfer in a month- you'll lose your courses!" her mom yelled.

"Oh yeah, I have to take this semester off to work to pay for the apartment," she said slowly.

"Oh you forgot- Lizzie that's very irresponsible- I could understand if you were moving during the summer- but not just when classes are starting. We already paid the bill! I'm sorry but you are not moving until you've passed your classes this semester!" Jo yelled angrily.

"You know what mom, you were all supportive and now you aren't. I don't get it- this is the love of my life, I can't let him get away!" so she didn't know if she would marry the guy- but it would be important for her to go.

"Lizzie McGuire- you are not moving until the summer- you're lucky we're even going to help you and allow you to do this- understand me!" she screamed back.

"Yes mother- just wait until I'm twenty one, I'll never have to take orders from you again!" she clicked the phone to the receiver and sat back warily in her bed. She shouldn't have yelled that last bit at her mother- but for shit's sake- she loved Logan. Now all she had to do was tell him the news.

* * *

"So Logan, you're moving to New York eh? Without your band- you son of a bitch," Kevin joked as he congratulated his buddy on his success.

"Yeah, I'm going to miss you guys!" he said cheerfully with quite a bit of sincerity.

"So is Liz going with you- I mean I don't know if her parents would let her move in with a guy?" Harry joked as the group laughed.

"I'm hoping she will- she's worried about her folks too, but I know she loves me and I guess that she'll follow her heart- she always has," he had agreat hope in his heart that she would join him in New York. A long distance relationship would definitely be hard on them.

Suddenly his cell phone began to play 'Jingle Bells'- the song that he had chosen to represent calls from Lizzie. He picked up the phone with a smile, "Hey Liz baby, how are you?"

"Not so good," she replied truthfully.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't move to New York with you!" she began to cry as a sudden silence fell over the pair.

"Why?"

"My mom said I had to finish my semester then I was allowed in the summer," she whimpered wishing she wasn't under the control of her parents.

"Why do you always listen to them? Listen to your heart Liz- what if we don't make it?" he yelled causing his friends to stare at him.

"Then we weren't meant to be! Listen, you don't have to go- but I know you will. I guess we should end what we have and see what happens after this semester," her sobs transferred into his ear as if she were right next to him.

"We can't do this Liz- we have to try and make it work- I'll come over every other weekend or once a month," he offered beginning to tear up himself.

"Yeah that'll work! Listen; let's not make this harder than it has to be. You know I love you more than anything and I wish I could follow you to New York- but reality says I can't. Let's just break it off now and see where we are in a few months," she hated that the words came so easily to her. It was wrong to break things up- but she had to, it was the only way.

"If that's what you want Lizzie. Let's just spend what time we have together while we can," he retorted hoping that she'd comply.

"That's not a good idea- your going to leave me and I can't be any more hurt than I am now- I'll break! Just leave me alone before you hurt me more!" she cried hard now and hung up the phone again leaving Logan to stare at his own phone and wish away his "success"!

* * *

A/N: Hey guys- hope you enjoyed- please review! 


	4. Bye Bye Logan

It had been a month from the last time Lizzie had seen Logan- apparently he followed her instructions to leave her alone. It did hurt her though- she was hoping he'd be rebellious and come visit her. Every night of that month was spent crying herself to sleep and moping around her apartment. She didn't think it would affect her this much, she thought it would be easier.

Apparently everything Lizzie had thought was wrong!

* * *

Logan stood outside the door waiting and deciding- should he go in? Should he knock? Should he even bother? It had been a whole month and he hadn't called her. He felt like such a jerk for leaving her, but what else could he do. He began to walk away, it was stupid for him to try and see her; when the door slowly opened and Lizzie stepped out. He froze where he stood, he could tell the sadness she felt by her slumped shoulders and constant sniffles. He had done this to her and there was no way to really take it back. 

"Hi Lizzie," he greeted her as she looked at him. She was caught off guard- something she really didn't want to be around him.

"Logan," she nodded and looked away to stop a tear from falling.

"How've you been?" he began as she played with her keys.

"Terrible, you?" she wasn't going to hide her emotions for him; he already knew how she felt.

"Terrible," he chuckled softly and looked into his hands.

"Is there something you wanted?" she asked harshly- she didn't mean for it to come out like that, but it did.

"I came to say goodbye," he took a step towards her and she allowed him to come even closer. Now he was merely inches from her face and he could see her holding back tears in her eyes.

"Oh, so you're leaving today then?" she asked quivering slightly. He saw her shake slightly and wanted to just reach forward and hold her- to stop all of her shakes.

"Tomorrow morning actually," he answered and came even closer. Their noses were almost touching and she could feel his hot breath against her turned cheek.

"Logan I-" but she didn't get to finish. He had pressed his lips against hers and caught her in an extremely emotional kiss. She fought back with an even more passionate kiss, one that left his knees weak. Finally she pulled away as tears flooded down her cheeks.

"I can't say goodbye to you, it's too hard," she sobbed and wiped away the tears. He put his arms around her quivering form and held her tightly until she put her own arms around him.

"I know Liz, I know. I'm such an asshole to do this to you," he felt her grip tighten as her chin rested on his shoulder. There they were, n the middle of her hallway just holding each other.

"Yeah you are," she looked into his eyes when she said this and he saw the pain he'd inflicted in her. A sudden wave of guilt hit his body and he didn't know what to do.

"I love you Lizzie and I always will," he whispered into her ear and she shivered as the breath hit her neck.

"I love you too Logan, but I also hate you," she said and more tears fell from her eyes. "You're just like the rest of them, Gordo left me, Corey used me…I thought you were different, but you're not. So just, go…now before I can't let you go…" she cried and her arms fell to her side. She wrapped her arms around the front of her body and bowed her head. He looked at her, pleading to talk this through but she wouldn't budge, she kept turning her head. He couldn't take the thought of loosing her, never seeing her again. He closed the space between them one final time and kissed her lips softly, gently, and lovingly. Then, he walked away and disappeared around a corner. As soon as he had left her sight she broke down completely, falling down against the wall, knees to her chest and face in her hands.

What she didn't know was that he hadn't left the building and he was going through a life changing decision as she cried.

* * *

Logan walked down the stairwell- many memories of Lizzie and himself there. One in particular stood out amongst the rest making him smile as he sat upon the steps. 

Flashback

"Lizzie, watch out," Logan screamed as Lizzie began to fall backwards on a step. He caught her before she even hit the ground and they both fell together in a heap. They laughed raucously and just sat there in each other's arms.

"So," Lizzie said but Logan read her mind and instantly crashed his lips against hers making her moan loudly. She turned to face him and pulled off her jacket in the process and she pushed Logan into a corner and proceeded to take off his shirt. They were caught up in a moment, a really great moment in fact.

They got too caught up though as Logan pulled at the zipper of her skirt, they were oblivious to anyone or anything near them and didn't realize they were being watched. A male figure shadowed over them as they kissed passionately and tapped Lizzie's shoulder. She was in the process of running down Logan's stomach with kisses when she turned around. A bright crimson hit her cheeks as an officer who lived in the building looked her in the eyes. Luckily they were both fully clothed, minus Logan's shirt, and no charges were pressed.

End of Flashback

He loved being around Lizzie, they always seemed to get in trouble together. She was funny, clever and had an amazing voice. It was there he decided he couldn't go to New York and it was then that his life changed forever.

* * *

Lizzie had finally pulled herself together to get back into her apartment. She made her way to the couch and covered herself with a large blanket, closing her eyes to will away the tears. The tears eventually stopped as she slowly drifted to sleep but she was awoken much too soon. Feeling in no mood to answer the door, she rose slowly and shuffled to the door with a pout on her lips, cracking the door slightly. 

Without looking at the visitor she called, "what do you want," and found herself on the floor as the visitor had pushed forwards.

"Oh sorry Liz, my fault I was just so excited," Logan called as he helped her off the floor. Tears flooded again at the sight of him, hadn't he caused enough pain?

"What the hell do you want?" she managed to mutter as she shrugged from his grasp.

"Well, see I was just in the stair well and remembered the time that the officer caught us undressing each other, do you remember that?" he smiled coyly at her. Of course she remembered that, it was so embarrassing yet so fun- they did that again a week later.

"Vaguely," she answered with mock disinterest.

"Anyways, I realized that I can't be without you, I want more of those moments in my life- I want to be with you all of the time! So, Lizzie, will you marry me?" he asked as she turned around to look him in the eye.

He wasn't kidding, he was serious and was waiting for an answer. "What the hell?" she cried out as she sat on the couch in disbelief.

"Marry me, I love you and I definitely can't live without you," he said as he sat beside her.

"What about New York and the record deal and I can't go and…" she began but he interrupted her.

"None of that matters if you can't go with me. If you can't go, then New York can wait- it might be a struggle, but we'll do it together!" he said as he held onto her hand.

"Okay, I'll marry you," she said smiling. Truth was she couldn't live without him either and this was the only way to stay with him- this was the right thing to do.

* * *

A/N: Bet you didn't see that coming! Please review! 


	5. Marriage and Hatching A Plan

Lizzie embraced Logan tightly; he was staying with her after all. He'd chosen her over New York which was something that Gordo never did for her. It's kind of funny when you think about it, two boys were going to leave her for New York, but the one she thought was her true love in life, left. Just goes to show how wrong we can assume things in life.

Logan was happy to stay, sure he was giving up his chance, but what was life without Lizzie. Plus, they could have a band together and could make it together- instead of him moving on without her. Life would be better this way, no regrets. He can't have any regrets, the minute he starts regretting, that's the same minute that their relationship dies!

"I thought you'd be more excited for me to stay," Logan commented as they sat on the couch in Lizzie's apartment.

"I'm kind of still in shock. The whole marriage thing- you'd think I'd jump into your arms like in one of those romance movies. But, I'm shocked- just wait another hour- it should hit. Speaking of weddings, Parker and Ethan's is coming up soon," Lizzie answered with a tinge of shock still left in her system.

"Oh, I forgot about that!" he said slapping his hand to his forehead.

"And I forgot to mention that we were playing at their wedding," she said bowing her head and turning away.

"You never told me that Liz!" he exclaimed standing up in surprise.

"Yeah, well you were leaving and I kind of already agreed to it so I just didn't tell Parker no and the band already said they'd back me…" Lizzie said with shame.

"Oh, so you didn't need me then, I see how this is," he said with mock disappointment.

"Your awful for making me feel bad," she smiled hitting his arm and falling onto his shoulder.

"I'm glad you're staying though," she said pulling his arms around her.

"Me too Liz, me too!" he replied and they relaxed back onto the couch.

----

"Um, that was pink roses, not blue!" Parker screamed at the phone writing madly into a notebook. "Look, just get the pink ones dammit!" she screamed before shutting off her phone.

"Hey Parker, how's the wedding coming?" Miranda asked as she took a seat at the table.

"Terrible- I only have a week before the wedding and everything is going insane!" she held her head in her arms and she collapsed on the table.

"Don't worry Parker- that's why I'm here to help," Miranda replied as she patted Parker's shoulder.

"Really?" Parker asked wiping tears from her eyes.

"Yes, so what can I do?"

"Can I make a list?" Parker said sarcastically.

"Go ahead," Miranda offered and Parker was busy at work creating a list. A small smile came to her lips, for once the stress was deflating.

----

"Andrea, can I ask you something?" Gordo said while taking a long sip of his coffee in their spacious studio.

"Ask away,"

"Well, we've been dating for a long time now and I was just wondering, where do you think our relationship is heading?"

"Wow, I've never been asked that before…um…hopefully to our future together," Andrea replied honestly taking a bite of a cookie.

"I see… so, we're still on to go to Parker and Ethan's wedding right?" he asked which Andrea mistook.

She thought he'd been bringing up the subject of marriage as if for their future and smiled with glee. "Yeah we are, why?" she asked getting pretty excited.

"Just wondering, because I would understand if you didn't want to go- I mean they aren't exactly your friends or anything," Gordo replied sheepishly.

Now Andrea was confused- first the mention of their future, now he didn't want her to go. What was all this about?

"Oh, well if you don't want me there, I can understand- I am just your girlfriend after all," she replied with obvious hurt.

"It's not that I don't want you there, I just don't want you to be uncomfortable around Lizzie, or Parker, or Miranda, or even Kate," he said without thinking. Mentioning Kate's name was an obvious mistake.

"Who's Kate, I've never met Kate," she answered honestly. Though she did know that Gordo had been sleeping with her- he'd seen him flirt and go home with her one night…

_Flashback_

_They had just had another argument- damn David for being such a moron. He'd yelled at her for taping over a shot- which was completely an accident. So they'd have to reshoot it tomorrow- it wasn't that big of a deal. David of course, begged to differ and was off in a huff. Now Andrea had fought enough with him to know that when he was angry, he drowned away his sorrows in alcohol, then stagger home the early the next morning._

_This time, Andrea had found him and saw him at a bar with a pretty blonde girl he seemed to be quite comfortable around. He was putting his arm around her shoulder and they seemed to be having quite a bit of fun. From the back she looked like Lizzie, but as soon as she turned around, Andrea realized it wasn't. Gordo also seemed to be pretty drunk and this girl didn't seem to mind. They grabbed their coats and left together, strolling down the street._

_With Andrea's detective instincts heightening, she followed them to the woman's apartment who she later found out was Kate's when Gordo had told her that he was borrowing something from an old friend. More like doing something with an old friend. Disgusted she left and was on her way back home to which Gordo didn't return to until late the next morning…_

_End of Flashback_

"Oh so you've never met Kate, I've told you about her though, I'm sure I have. Remember she's the one who use to be a bitch in junior high, but then we were friends in highschool?" Gordo replied trying to obscure the fact that he was sleeping with Kate.

"Ah, silly me. Now I remember," she lied at continued with her cookie. "You know, you go right ahead to that wedding, I have some other things to finish here- like that movie I have to edit," Andrea said slyly.

"Alright then sweetie," he kissed her hand and went back to his coffee.

Almost as an after thought she asked, "when do you leave?"

"In two days, I'm leaving early to visit with Miranda and company, you know, to catch up," he said reading the newspaper on the table.

"Okay," she replied. He was leaving her for a week where he'd be with Kate for who knows how long! Not only was Gordo a liar, but he was a cheater! She forced a smile on her lips and returned to her own thoughts- she had to get Gordo back, to make him realize that he loved her as much as she loved him. A plan must be hatched and the only way to make it work was a little cooperation by none other than the famous Lizzie McGuire!


	6. Welcome to Cali

The plane ride seemed to pass quickly for Gordo; it was odd because he was expecting it to drag on and on until he reached the point of insanity. But, unlike usual flights, it was quick, painless and he was off as soon as he was on. As he claimed his baggage and headed to leave, he saw a familiar brunette waiting by her car. He had to have a double take- she looked so different from the last time he'd seen her. They hadn't exactly left on good terms, but he strolled towards her anyways.

"Gordo!" she screamed and leapt into his arms unexpectedly. Gordo stumbled back and caught his balance at the force she knocked into him.

"Hey Liz, I missed you too," he said quietly.

"Gordo, I'm so sorry about that whole Corey thing! It was stupid and I shouldn't have done anything and I'm sorry," she rambled. He nodded and completely forgave her. How could he stay mad at Lizzie? He looked at her hands as she fidgeted and noticed the newly placed rock on her finger.

"What's that," he asked as he grabbed her hand to examine the ring.

"Oh, I'm engaged!" she squealed and gave him a look of happiness.

"Really? So Corey actually asked you to marry him, huh?" he said with a slight bit of confusion.

"Actually it was Logan- the other guy at the party. We started a band and dated right after Christmas," she explained as she fidgeted with the ring.

"Oh, the singer guy. Hmm, I must say Lizzie, I'm surprised," he commented as he put his bag into her trunk.

"Yeah, he was supposed to move to New York, but instead asked me to marry him- so… how are things with Andrea? Where is she?" she asked eager to change the subject.

"Oh, well… they're rocky and she decided not to come," that's all he would say and he stepped into the passenger side.

Lizzie left it at that and walked to the driver's seat. She took another deep breath before getting in the car- this was going to be an interesting week!

* * *

---

Parker was only freaking out a little bit today. Her wedding was within 48 hours and Miranda was handling most of what she needed done, but she was still quite nervous. They had waited so long for this day, yet she doubted her decision. Was she really ready to get married?

"Of course I'm ready," she thought to herself and wandered around the apartment taking in a few deep breaths.

Miranda trampled in the apartment with Lance at her side- they were laughing hysterically at something. Why was Miranda laughing, why wasn't she busy with the list that I had given her? Parker's mind was beginning to shut down, the wheels turning madly.

Her temper was rising and it had hit the death mark, "Miranda, where have you been?" she screamed which Miranda didn't seem to mind. Parker had been screaming a lot lately- boy did she need to get laid.

"Chill out Parker, everything on your list is done, just breath kiddo," she said and pulled Lance to her room.

They had been getting pretty serious- he was actually committing to her, which was surprising- even more surprising was that she was committed to him. They'd been dating for almost a year and a half- it'd been so long since Miranda had been on another date.

"Miranda, can I ask you something," Lance said as he began to push away the clothes on Miranda's bed.

"Yeah?" she replied giving him a look of concern.

"How long have we been dating now?"

"What? I don't know, a year and a half. Why?"

"I think we need to take it to the next level," he said in a rush and Miranda almost fell to the floor.

"Ohmygosh!"

"We should move in together," he said happily and Miranda's heart beat slowed back to normal again.

"Oh, yeah. That's a good idea," she answered. 'I could have sworn he was going to propose' she thought as she took out her purchases and began to try them on.

* * *

---

"Where is he?" Kate screamed as she looked frantically from one side of the airport to the other. Josh was supposed to meet her about twenty minutes ago and he was always on time. She turned on her cell phone and quickly dialed his number. A few rings later a disgruntled voice answered.

"Hullo?"

"Josh?"

"This is he, how may I help you?" he asked as he put removed himself from the dozing red head beside him.

"How about picking me up from the airport like you promised," she said sternly causing him to jump from the bed.

"Oh gosh, Kate I completely forgot! I'll be there in like an hour," he said while searching for a shirt.

"An hour, I'll take a cab!" she clicked off the phone and shook her head as she waved down a cab. Damn her ex boyfriend for being such a man slut.

As she drove off in the taxi, she was growing impatient knowing that Gordo was going to be there. What were they supposed to do? Act like they hadn't seen each other? Finally she decided she'd let him handle it.

The cab pulled up to a dorm building and Kate sneered a bit. It was just like Lizzie to want to live in a place like this! She took her bags and made her way up the stairs and knocked on the apartment door.

With a smile on her lips, she waited to be greeted by Lizzie. As the door creaked open the anticipation was killing her and instead of the bubbly blonde, she was met with a brown haired boy.

"Hi, you must be Kate, come on in," he gestured and grabbed her bag from her.

"Uh, thanks. And you are?"

"Logan. I'm Lizzie's fiancé," he said nodding his head and shifting his weight.

"Really? I didn't know Lizzie was engaged," she said quietly, mostly to herself.

"Actually not a lot of people do, it kind of just happened like two days ago," he said and made his way to the kitchen.

"Can I get you a drink?"

"Got anything strong?" she smiled and he gave her a smirk back.

"How about vodka?"

"Perfect," she strolled over to the counter and peered at the new boy making her a drink. He was quite good looking and seemed to be really nice. He had this Mohawk thing going on, like normal hair then Mohawk- odd yet completely adorable on him. "So where is Lizzie anyway?"

"Oh, she's just in the shower," he nodded his head towards the bathroom and handed Kate a tumbler with vodka and orange juice.

"So, how long have you guys been dating?" she asked curiously.

"Um, I think about a year from New Years. We met when Lizzie was visiting her parents in San Fran, and I live there too. It was so coincidental, but totally awesome. We even have a band together- Like Wise," he told her as he sipped his coke.

"Like Wise- I like that. Who thought of it?"

"Lizzie and I one night when we-," he stopped and blushed a bit as she laughed lightly.

"That's cute. So now you're engaged. Wow,"

"Yeah, I was going to move to New York, but I just couldn't leave her, I love her too much to leave," he said with a smile.

"That's so sweet. You know, you are pretty open to strangers about your life," she finished off her drink and wiped the excess from her lips with the back of her hand.

"First of all, you are not a stranger, you've known Lizzie forever. Secondly, I don't hide anything, why bother," he smiled cheekily and looked behind Kate to see a beautiful Lizzie strolling towards them.

"Lizzie," Kate screamed and ran to give her a hug. High school had changed their relationship, making them extremely close.

"Kate, I missed you. I see you've become acquainted with Logan,"

"Yes, he was just talking about you and how you guys are engaged! How come you didn't tell me?" she asked with mock hurt.

"It just happened, only Parker, Miranda and Ethan know," she replied walking over to Logan and gave his hand a squeeze.

"Oh, I like your hair this colour," she said touching the tousled brown locks.

"Thanks Kate, I did it last year and just kept it this way," Lizzie replied with a smile.

"So, where's Gordo?"

Lizzie gave her a curious look. Since when did Kate care about Gordo. Sure they had been semi- friends in high school but never very close.

Shaking the thoughts from her head Lizzie smiled as she replied, "He is out with Ethan touring Cali and who knows what else!"

"Oh, awesome. I was just wondering because we haven't seen each other in so long so," she nodded and began to play with her hair- something she always did when she was hiding something.

Lizzie looked at Logan; he had noticed this diversion too, "Is there something you're not telling us?" Lizzie asked.

"Uh, no, nothing at all," she laughed nervously which gave Lizzie even more reason to believe something was up.

Just in the nick of time, Ethan came strolling through the door with Gordo in tow.

"Kate," Ethan called and gave her a loose hug. They dated for a short while in high school- nothing serious.

"Hey Ethan- the groom to be. Wow I can't believe you're getting married," she commented with a smile.

"I know- but I love Parker, that's all that matters," he said and gave her a reassuring smile.

Gordo hadn't said a word since he'd entered. He wasn't sure what to do with Kate being there. Apparently they were both staying in the apartment, one in Lizzie's room, one on the couch because Lizzie was sleeping at Logan's.

"Hey Gordo," Kate said cheerfully and awkwardly gave him a hug.

"Hey Kate, long time no see," he responded. Everyone looked on at them in surprise. Something was definitely up- something they didn't want anyone to know and Lizzie was going to find out just that!


	7. Funny, I've Heard Lots About You

A phone rang breaking the awkwardness between the group of new and old friends. Lizzie was the first to react as everyone else seemed too interested in the extreme weirdness between Kate and Gordo.

"I'll get it," Lizzie said mostly to herself as she hurried to pick up the phone. "Hello?"

"Lizzie?" the voice asked.

"Yes, who is this?" she responded a bit startled by the unknown caller.

"Andrea, David's girlfriend," Andrea waited eagerly for the bubbly blonde to respond.

"Hey Andrea, how are you?"

"I could be better, but I need your help for something."

"Okay…" Lizzie was a bit confused. The way they parted didn't exactly leave them in favors, but she was willing to rectify the situation to at least be friends with the girl.

"See I think David's become bored with me, and I really love him. I can't lose him Lizzie, I just can't!" she began to cry ever so slightly and Lizzie picked up the tone in her voice.

"Oh Andrea, don't cry. He can't be getting bored with you, he loves you." She said strongly although she was quite unsure by Gordo's earlier response on the subject of Andrea.

"I know, but I just want to make him want me- so I was thinking of surprising him and coming to Parker's wedding- if that's alright," she said between sobs.

"Of course, we offered you an invitation and we're disappointed when Gordo arrived without you," Lizzie said honestly.

"Well okay, so I'm getting on a flight in a few hours, so don't tell David. I want to surprise him!" she said a bit more cheerfully.

"Of course, I can't wait," she said and was met with a dial tone.

Lizzie shook her head at the phone and made a mental note to hurt Gordo for being such an asshole to his girlfriend. Then without further ado, walked up beside said friend and put a comforting arm on his shoulder.

"So enough awkwardness, let's have a drink- a toast!" Lizzie said excitedly as she rummaged through the cupboards for some sort of alcohol. Finding a mostly full bottle of vodka, not exactly her favourite, she poured everyone a shot and they took them happily.

"To a marriage, an engagement, old friends, and new ones!" Miranda shouted and they downed their shots instantly.

"Uh so, Gordo, I don't think we've met, I'm Logan," reaching his hand forward, Gordo grabbed it reluctantly.

"Lizzie has told me nothing about you," Gordo said with a sneer- with maybe even a hint of jealously attached.

"Oh, funny, I hear stories about you all the time," Logan gave him a friendly smile and walked towards Lizzie putting a loving arm around her shoulders, quickly joining her conversation with Lance and Miranda.

Gordo mentally kicked himself for being such an asshole. Why was he still getting jealous over Lizzie's boyfriends? It'd been like a year and a half of not being with her and they were just becoming friends again. Idiot! He looked up in time to see Kate sauntering over to him casually, not making anything awkward.

"Hey," she said cheerfully.

"Hello Kate," he replied as he took a big gulp of the scotch he had acquired just moments before.

"Are we going to do this all week or are you at least going to talk to me like we're friends?" she asked accusingly as she stole the drink from him and took her own gulp from the cup.

"Shh, Kate, I don't want them to know what we do-it's not…" he paused looking for the right word.

"Healthy? Sane? Proper? Gordo like? What?" she raised her voice slightly.

"I'm dating Andrea- we both know that, but I can't get out of it. I can't hurt her," he replied honestly and took back the empty glass to refill it.

"But you can hurt me?" Kate looked deep into his saddened eyes. He paused staring at her and looked for a moment like he was going to cry.

"I don't ever want to hurt you- I just don't know how to not hurt her," Gordo stopped pouring his drink and turned to look at Kate's face. She was beautiful, he had to admit. Her hair was still golden blonde and her blue eyes sparkled when she was angry or happy. She was slim, yet not too thin and wore a lot of bright clothes still. She looked like an older, more sophisticated version of her junior high self.

"Gordo, I know when we made this…umm…arrangement, that's all it was. But now, I just, I want it to be more," she pleaded with him which was extremely rare for the hot headed bombshell that he knew and loved as Kate Saunders.

"You do? I mean, I do too, it's just let's just keep going and I'll break up with Andrea as soon as I see her, I promise," he said reassuringly and took a big risk, by kissing her neck softly and pulling away slowly.

"Gordo, be careful. The last thing we need is someone on our case right now," Kate whispered.

"I know but your neck was so inviting," a smirk flashed across his face and he moved away from Kate to go talk to Parker and Ethan.

Kate watched him slip away- he wasn't the same Gordo from junior high that was definitely for sure. Through high school he'd grown up- he was still the smart, geeky film nerd, but he had more friends and played baseball. He also grew to be six feet tall and quite muscular. Tough he never use to be into the Neanderthal type man look, he had certainly filled out nicely! She smiled and touched the spot on her neck he had kissed- another thing she loved about him was the way he kissed. He always made her warm from the slightest touch. She shook from her day dreams. Since when did Gordo make her melt?

* * *

Andrea was getting quite anxious as the taxi neared Lizzie's apartment building. She was just a tad nervous that David would be mad after being so adamant of her staying away. Still, she wanted to see him and the only way to do that was to fly across the country to see him. The sky was still bright because of the time change and Andrea smiled as a beam of sunlight hit her face.

She paid the driver and took her bags up into the building, ever step closer to Gordo. She reached the familiar apartment door and knocked suddenly waiting for it to be opened, by none other than a pretty blonde woman.

"Hello," Kate said looking at Andrea's bags and trying to place her.

"Is Lizzie here?" she asked trying to look in.

"Yeah, Lizzie," she called and opened the door wider to let the woman in.

"Andrea, hi," Lizzie greeted the woman causing Kate to jump and Gordo to look at the door.

"Hey, I just decided to come to the wedding- I really wanted to be here," she said looking towards Parker and Ethan who smiled happily in return.

"We're glad you could make it," Parker replied and gave her a soft hug as she approached.

Gordo was still frozen in place- he couldn't believe that Andrea was here. He really couldn't believe that Kate was here. Most of all he couldn't believe that Andrea and Kate were now here together- in the same room staying in the same place. Oh this was definitely going to get interesting!


	8. Heated Passion and Drunken Confessions

**A/N: words in _italics_ are my comments.**

"Andrea," Gordo had finally snapped out of his moment of panic, "what are you doing her sweetie?" he asked almost sternly.

"I came to see you David. I couldn't bear to be without you for a week!" she smiled and gave him a passionate kiss that made him stare blankly in front of him afterwards.

In all the kisses over the time they'd been together, never had she kissed him like that- never! The last time he'd gotten a kiss like that was from Kate, who he just realized was watching him. Nervously he pulled Andrea aside into a bedroom.

"I thought you weren't going to come…" he whispered.

"And like I said, I love you David, I can't stay away. You are irresistible," she kissed up his neck slowly and for a moment Gordo was lost in the heat of the moment.

What was wrong with her? Why was she acting so…so…sex kitten like?

"Wait, stop…stop!" he groaned barely able to stop himself. "We are guests and there are people in the main room," he said somewhat shyly.

"But baby, that's not going to stop me one bit," Andrea cooed into his ear as she nibbled aggressively.

For a few minutes Gordo let her continue and even countered with a few passionate kisses but was suddenly interrupted as the bright light from the main room shone in.

"Hey guys, sorry…" Lizzie whispered timidly and snuck in to grab her purse. "I just needed this," she held up said bag and left the room with a smirk. _Good job Andrea, you've got your man back!_

Gordo kissed Andrea softly and pulled away from her, looking into her dark eyes. As he looked, the guilt began to rise in his throat in the form of a clump. All the times he'd slept with Kate were flashing before his eyes and until now, he only saw it as pure, raw passion- the kind he wanted in a relationship. Until now, Andrea had been timid and less aggressive, but this new side of her was absolutely enticing! _Pig! Scum bag! A$$hole!_

"What, David?" Andrea asked colliding Gordo's thoughts with reality- he had slept with Kate- he was cheating on Andrea and here she was being perfect. His eyes drooped to the floor in shame as he released her from his grasps and headed for the door. Andrea sensed this and called to him before he left, "I know about her," was all she said and he looked back to see her eyes filled with sadness and yet a glimmer of hope.

He continued on out of the room and headed to the kitchen- he really needed a drink! A strong one preferably.

"So Lizzie darling, how have you been?" Kate asked while sipping her vodka and orange juice. She was sitting with Logan and Lizzie on the couch trying to avoid Gordo and Andrea.

"Well busy- music has taken up a big part of my life. You know how it goes though. How has the business been for you? Any hits?" she asked snuggling into Logan's arms.

"No, not as yet. I'm having some trouble with my song writing. It's just not right yet," she paused and glanced over to Gordo who was busy fixing himself a drink in the kitchen. She excused herself and crossed the room to talk to him.

"Gordo," she whispered. He jumped slightly and turned around to smile slightly at the bubby blonde in front of him.

"Hey gorgeous, what can I do for you?" he asked and continued to pour more vodka into his glass.

"Uh, nothing. Just came to see if you were all right. You know this whole Andrea and me thing is getting a little weird," she looked around noticing the small brunette exiting a room and pushing down her messed up hair.

"Don't have to tell me babe, I mean, I've pretty much got my two favourite girls with me here tonight! What more could a guy ask for?" Gordo mumbled as he downed the large glass of vodka and proceeded to pour yet another.

"What are you on?"

"Vodka baby! By the way, she knows," Gordo downed the second glass of vodka and stumbled from the kitchen. He made his way over to the couch and sat between Lizzie and Logan- which was a hard feat considering they were practically joined at the hip. "Hey you guys," he greeted them, throwing arms on both of their shoulders.

"Hi Gordo- are you okay?" Lizzie asked confused by his actions.

"Never better, just escaping from my mistress before she starts asking questions. Shh, don't let anyone else know. Andrea doesn't know its Kate," Gordo answered loudly at an attempt to whisper.

"Gordo, you cheated on Andrea with Kate?" Lizzie whispered trying to let the news sink in.

"Yep, more than once too! Man the sex was great- Kate is so hot. She was so raw and passionate- you know what I mean Logan?" Gordo nudged Logan in the ribs and began to laugh.

"Gordo, what the hell is your problem?" Lizzie whispered again, removing his arm from around her shoulder.

"You actually. You never wanted to have sex in high school so I had to go to Kate. By the way, I cheated on you in eleventh grade with her. Man she's even better these days than she was then," he said loudly again.

Lizzie looked as if she was about to cry and held back tears. Clenching her teeth she said, "Gordo, you should leave,"

"No I shouldn't. I came for a wedding and that's what I'm staying for!" he turned his attention to a stunned Andrea who had been listening the whole time. "Woman, get me a vodka triple!" Gordo yelled degradingly and turned his attention to Logan who was getting redder every moment.

"Lizzie said you should leave, and I think she's right," Logan stood up threateningly and pulled Gordo up as well.

"Hey man, lay off!" Gordo screamed ripping his arm from Logan's grasp. He stalked to the door and turned around before leaving. "I don't need this shit from you- especially you Lizzie, I'm out!" he screamed and slammed the door.

All of the guests turned to stare as Gordo left and stood stunned at what had just happened. Since when did Gordo get mad?


	9. Old Reliable

It was eleven PM. A mere two hours ago Gordo had the bright idea to get himself drunk and yell at Lizzie, when it was his mess not hers. He was the one who had made the mistake of cheating on his girlfriend, telling his mistress he wanted to be with her, then changing his mind again when his girlfriend showed a more sexy side of herself.

He kicked the dirt in his path as he walked across a park, attempting to warm himself up by rubbing his arms. He decided to stop at a swing and sat down carefully, making sure not to fall off.

"There we go, good swing…" he said aloud to himself as the swing obeyed his wish to sit down. With his luck tonight, the swing was likely to come alive and kick his ass for being such an asshole. But swings can't come alive, so Gordo was at least fortunate tonight.

He pushed himself back and swung slowly, kicking the ground here and there to continue the motion. He was staring at the ground when she took the swing next to him. Her brown hair shined in the moonlight as she swayed in the swing at a pace of her own. She smiled weakly at him, she had known something was up but couldn't figure it out before. It only took a drunken Gordo to find out, a Gordo that was nothing like his high school self. But right now, at his favourite destination: a deserted park, his old self, vulnerability and all, shone through.

"What are you thinking?" she whispered to him, breaking the comfortable silence they had become accustomed to over the years. Though it'd been a year since they last saw each other, they could still fall back into old habits.

He looked at her through wide eyes then focused on the ground beside him, beside her to be exact. "I'm an idiot,"

"I could have told you that," she whispered back with a slight amusement to her voice.

He smiled at her ice breaker; she always knew how to make an awkward situation…well…not awkward. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. I really shouldn't have," he said after a long pause.

She smiled at his drunken sincerity, the alcohol hadn't been subdued, but he was still being serious. "Why didn't you tell me before about you and Kate?" she asked suddenly curious about his lack of friendship over the year.

"We weren't speaking- I couldn't exactly tell you-," he said, but she stopped him with a finger to his lips.

"You didn't let me finish. Why didn't you tell me about Kate in high school?" a sudden hurt came into her usually understanding eyes as she sat on the swing- fully vulnerable to any answer he could muster.

"Because then I would have lost you." He said simply and switched his eyes to the ground.

"But then, you dumped me because I wouldn't have sex with you. Gordo, if you had Kate, why didn't you just dump me then?" a tear strolled down her cheek at the painful memory of her break up with Gordo. It had taken her the entire summer to forget about David Gordon- but the harder she tried to forget the more she remembered.

This had struck a chord in Gordo's guilt. He was a cheater- and he didn't seem to be able to stop this vicious cycle he'd started. Kate was his comfort- his resort for passion and fury. Yet Lizzie was his best friend, his soul mate. Why did he suddenly decide to break up with her- and why didn't he just go with Kate then and there?

"I don't know Lizzie…I don't know," he sad sadly and stopped swinging. Lizzie also stopped her swing in an attempt to help him in his new trouble.

"You know she still loves you. She never stopped. Andrea I mean," Lizzie fiddled with her fingers as she said the words. She couldn't understand how Andrea could still love him, but decided to help her best friend anyways.

"I know which is why I feel so horrible. Maybe this was an attempt to end my relationship- yet she's signing herself up for a double dose of hurt. I can't do this to her, she shouldn't do this to herself,"

Gordo looked down at the ground, and then focused up on the night sky. The moon to be exact. He felt like the moon- always changing, never constant. Like a routine that continued to repeat, he couldn't stop his behavior.

"Gordo, why don't you just grow up for once and choose. Choose the one who makes you the most happy, the one you can't live without," Lizzie said with frustrating dripping from her voice. She was standing now, fist clenched around the metal chain of the swing, hovering over him angrily.

"But if I choose, I can't have what I really want, who I can't live without," he replied honestly, focusing on the tumultuous blue eyes above him.

"Why Gordo, it's a choice between Kate and Andrea who both want you," she screamed at him, stepping closer to him angrily.

"Because you are the one I can't live with out," he whispered but Lizzie heard him. She just sat down in the swing beside him keeping herself silent and reflecting on his hard hitting words.

Gordo observed her under the moonlight. Her delicate brown hair shone out amongst her bright clothing- a yellow halter top and dark denim jeans. She looked cold but had stayed anyways. He just watched her until she spoke again.

"You can't keep doing this to me Gordo. You can't want me, then not, and then want me again. It can't keep happening. I don't love you anymore, I don't. You can live without me and you have. You've moved on with Andrea and Kate. Although that's actually a really weird way to move on, you have," she paused to look into his glowing eyes. She could see he was hurt, yet understanding, "Just stop going back to the past. Move on, move forward and choose. It's Andrea and Kate who love you, not me," she stood up and started back on her journey to the apartment.

He watched her walk away until she was a mere speck in the distance. He knew she was right. He knew he had lived without her, but he didn't want to. He wanted Lizzie more than anything, but he obviously wasn't showing these feelings. She was engaged now, she loved someone else. And maybe she was his soul mate, but that didn't mean that they had to be in love.

They had a platonic love- well she had a platonic love for him. She could never love him again, not after what he'd done to her. He would make it up to her someday. But not today, he had other pressing matters: who to choose in the battle between Kate and Andrea.

There must have been a reason he kept coming to Kate, when he needed her in times of desperation. He had run from Andrea to Kate- why was he doing that.

But then there was the matter of Andrea who loved him even though he'd been cheating on her. She loved him a lot, probably willing to marry him even. But he couldn't keep a relationship going with a girl who trusted him so blindly. Or maybe she wasn't blind- she had known about Kate. How was he going to choose between someone from his past that he kept coming back to and someone from his future that he worked with?

He stood up, determined to confront everyone at the apartment. He would just have to decide- he would just have to choose once and for all. He wandered back to the apartment and made his way to the door. Hesitantly he opened it to see a crowd of laughing people- they were laughing despite his drunken confessions.

He slipped in unnoticed and tried to see where the humor was. He peered in the direction they were looking and noticed they were laughing at memories, even Andrea, of the last visit they had in California.

He had to do it, now, before he backed down and cowered. "Hi everyone," he said meekly as the group's eyes fell on him. They dropped the photo album on the table and turned their bodies. Kate looked a little pissed, Andrea looked sad. He had been the culprit of those emotions. He had made them feel worthless and used. And he was the one who was going to change that.

"I just wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier," he announced, "I was stupid and I hope you can all forgive me," he finished and shifted his eyes to the floor.

Logan approached him first and told him no hard feelings. Ethan and Parker joked about how he could have ruined the wedding. Miranda threatened him to try that again and die, while Lance pulled her away. Lizzie was next. She was the most understanding. She approached him and gave him a swelling hug.

"I hope you've decided, because I don't think these girls can take this anymore," she whispered in his ear and left him with a soft smile.

The hard part came next, facing the two girls in his life, the two girls which both didn't look very happy with him at the moment. But he couldn't blame them, he hated himself for putting them both through this. He wasn't even sure how he was going to tell them, how he was actually going to break the news that he wanted one more than the other.

"Kate," he said softly and she approached him slowly, unsure of what he had to say.

"Gordo," she replied hesitantly.

"I'm sorry,"

"So I've heard," she said sternly. She wasn't in the mood for his games today, she knew what he wanted and he had better just spit it out before she burst.

"You know I love you right?" he asked unsure of how to tell her.

"Yeah," she smiled thinking that the worst had past. Gordo had chosen her.

"Then you also know that I can't live without you-," he paused as she threw her arms around his neck.

"Oh Gordo," she cried.

"…as a friend," he whispered in her ear. She pulled back slowly registering what he just said. The smile dripped from her lips and turned into a sad frown.

She walked away slowly and maybe even out of his life forever. He remembers the swing of her hair as she left the apartment and went into the dark streets. He would have followed her but he had something he had to do. He had to tell Andrea.

On cue, she approached him with a sad smile on her face. A smile of happiness and disappointment all in one.

"I thought you'd choose her," she said as her eyes focused on the ground between them.

"Yeah, so did I Andrea so did I." he looked over his shoulder at the closed door and sighed heavily returning to Andrea's confused face.

"I love you," she whispered as she pulled him into a hug.

"Yeah, me too…" he couldn't bring himself to say the words when he really didn't. But the thing was, Andrea was his partner, they just fit together. They worked together and lived together. He couldn't give that up to an uncertain future with Kate. He had to go for old reliable, and that was what he did, because he was old reliable himself. Two old reliables' must make a match. Don't they?


	10. Time to Play

**A/N: It is now time for a happy, fluffy, purely sexual chapter. Not very descriptive, but I'll be damned if we can't have a little fun amongst all this drama!**

Lizzie watched from the background- Gordo had just broken things off with Kate. Deep down, she thought Gordo was going to choose Kate, but he surprised her and opted for Andrea. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she fell into Logan's waiting arms. He was warm and comfortable. Her eyes drifted to his- they read her like an open book, knowing everything that was to come.

"I didn't think he'd choose her either," he whispered into her ear. Lizzie smiled; he always knew what to say, just when she was thinking it. He really did lover her, and she was lucky to have such a wonderful man. Still she couldn't help but keep her mind wandering back to Gordo- why did he have to go and ruin her night, telling her that he's always loved her. Yes, of course he'd always loved her, right on through when he cheated on her with Kate. And how could Kate do that to her. A heavy sigh escaped her lips and she could feel Logan's chest pushing her forward.

"Come on," he whispered taking her hand tightly and leading her into the hallway outside of her apartment.

She followed, she never minded him pushing her to tell him anything, in fact it was more like enticing her to tell him. She loved how he always cared so much for her, how he always wanted to be next to her and love her.

"What did Gordo say to you?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her tiny waist. She copied his move and pulled him closer.

"That he loved me and I'm the only one for him. And also that he cheated on me with Kate in high school," she replied sadly.

"Wow, he told you all that? Somehow, I'm not surprised. He seems like an honest guy," Logan told her truthfully. He pulled her tighter, as if to indicate protection- protection from any sadness that would come her way. He was her knight in shining armor, and he was always going to protect her- they were engaged after all.

"He has always been honest. I don't know why he felt the need to lie to me. I loved him, but obviously he didn't love me," she looked to her feet. They seemed comforting now, just as comforting as Logan's arms.

"He has no right to make you feel unloved Lizzie. I love you- hell we're getting married. Fuck him Lizzie; fuck him and everything he's done to you!" Logan smiled at her earnestly and she cocked her right eyebrow.

"I like this 'fuck the world' attitude of yours. It's really quite sexy," she inched towards his face- their lips mere millimeters away.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, it is. Now shut up, and kiss me," she ordered with a smile. Logan followed orders and crashed his lips to hers hard and long. She melted in his arms- he always seemed to have that affect on her. No matter what had happened, or where they were, one kiss from Logan would send it all away and leave her in a cloud of bliss and passion.

His tongue swiped her lips and she parted them to allow his exploration of her mouth to continue. The kiss intensified as if it had been turned up by a dial, it was maximum heat now, any more and they'd be screwing where they were, in the middle of the apartment's hallway.

Lizzie was first to break away, the cloud still evident as it hazed over her body. She was grinning coyly and she led Logan to the stairwell.

"Where are we going? What about everyone at your place?" he asked as he followed grabbing Lizzie's hips and pressing himself into her. She moaned slightly and pushed herself faster down the steps.

"We are going to your place and fast. If we don't, I won't be able to contain myself much longer!" she smiled and grabbed his hand as they hailed a cab. Once inside they resumed their battle of tongues until the driver interrupted the backseat party.

"Ahem, that'll be twenty sixty five," he said rudely.

Logan gave the man two twenty dollar bills and continued to kiss Lizzie as they pushed out of the dirty old cab. They barely made it to the elevator before crumbling to a heap once inside. His jacket was barely on his arms, while her shirt was pushed up just under her chest. They kissed each other ferociously as they stumbled from the elevator down the hall to apartment 252. They didn't bother with the key quite yet Logan was too interested in keeping Lizzie's tongue in his mouth, far less to try and get into the apartment.

Lizzie pulled away breathlessly as Logan struggled to unlock the door. She was caressing his waist and softly kissing the crook in his neck. Finally unlocking the door, Lizzie pushed Logan inside and tackled him to the ground. Logan shut the door with his foot and turned his attention back to Lizzie.

Her light brown hair swayed over their faces as she attacked his lips and mouth without hesitation. He easily slid her jeans off her hips and threw them away from the door. She, in turn, continued to kiss him and tore off his jacket. They broke for mere moments stripping their shirts from each other and sliding into one another. Down her lips crashed again as he flipped her to the bottom playfully. It was his turn to play and he wasn't going to give in so easily!

* * *

Gordo broke from Andrea as he watched Lizzie pass through the door tightly wound to Logan. She looked sad, but at peace. He turned his attention back to Andrea. Sure she was pretty, but she just wasn't Kate. Still, he couldn't sacrifice their film partnership or the awesome studio they scored together. Maybe it was selfish, but at least Andrea was happy, and he was happy with what they had- material wise.

He kissed her ruby lips softly and pulled her towards the door.

"Where are we going?" she asked hesitantly.

"Let's get away from the drama and go some place," he coughed, "alone." She smiled happily and followed him out the door, past the rude couple kissing madly in the hallway. They looked incredibly into each other and didn't even realize the world around them. She hoped her and Gordo could be like that someday, and maybe they would- just maybe they could pull it off.

* * *

"Wow, what a way to break up a party," Miranda joked as she counted the people left in the apartment. There was herself, Lance, Parker, and Ethan. Everyone else had left and none of them seemed to care anyways.

"Ah well, intimate parties are much more fun, right Parker," he smiled suggestively and she tightened her arms around him.

"Well as lovely as this has bee, Ethan and I have some, ahem, business to attend to at his apartment, right sweetie," Parker eyed him suggestively and he caught the message.

"Right, let's get to that business quickly!" she ran out of the apartment and Ethan followed her at a run.

Now it was down to two.

"What now?" Lance asked looking around the emptied apartment.

"Sex?"

"Do you even have to ask?" he brought his lips to Miranda's as they traveled back towards her bedroom.

And so it begins- a good night for many couples. But what about lonely Kate, where's her action. Ah my friends, that adventure is soon to come. Next chapter soon. But don't feel to mean towards Gordo and Andrea, just how long will they actually last? Only time will tell! Until next time!


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